ECOGOLD donates 6 Saddle Pads, one in memory of each horse lost in Boyd Martin's Barn Fire

Boyd and Charla, at Bromont last year

All day, we haven't been able to think of anything else but Boyd's barn fire, where 6 horses lost their lives. In tragedy, you feel so powerless. I'm sure there will be some fundraising efforts to help Boyd, but at the time I write this, I haven't heard anything official yet.

As I am of an impatient nature, and as one of Boyd's sponsors, we feel the need to step up and help him, even before anybody asks. So, we've decided to set up a special section on our online store where we are donating 1 Secure Saddle Pad in memory of each horse lost. You can be assured that 100% of your purchase will go to Boyd.

I have set up six Secure Cross-Country Saddle Pads, in honour of these event horses, but if you prefer a dressage or square jumper saddle pad, just write it in the comments.

Here is the section: Boyd Martin's Fund

Each saddle pad is listed separately here, as a tribute to each horse:

• Secure Saddle Pad / In Memory of Ariel **SOLD**

• Secure Saddle Pad / In Memory of Cagney Herself **SOLD**

• Secure Saddle Pad / In Memory of Call Me Ollie **SOLD**

• Secure Saddle Pad / In memory of Charla **SOLD**

• Secure Saddle Pad / In memory of Phantom Pursuit **SOLD**

• Secure Saddle Pad / In memory of Summer Breeze **SOLD**

UPDATE 6:52 PM: Due to the quick sale of the saddle pads in memory of the horses, we have added an unlimited amount, where we will donate 50% of the sales to Boyd.

• Secure Saddle Pad (unlimited) / 50% of the proceeds will go to Boyd

We are praying for the surviving horses being treated, the first two in intensive care, Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, (Caitlin’s) Catch a Star and Ambassador’s Rose.

Our gesture will not erase the sorrow or come close to provide what Boyd and his team will need, but it makes us feel a little more useful.

If you want to donate any amount, you can do so by clicking on the PayPal button below. This relief fund is a general fund set up by True Prospect Farm to help everyone at Windurra LLC and True Prospect Farm, as well as Boyd’s owners and riders who have been impacted by this tragedy.

Also, a Facebook Page has been set up by Evie Dutton from True Prospect Farm: True Prospect Fire Recovery Fund

Devastating

Tragedies like these, normally happen to people we don't know. But unfortunately, this one hit very close to home.

This morning, as I was about to drive to work, I received a text asking me if I had heard anything about a fire at Boyd Martin's barn. Boyd is one of our sponsored riders and I have visited his barn at Phillip Dutton's True Prospect Farm a couple of times. My reaction was "What? That can't be right". When the news was confirmed that it was indeed true and that horses were lost, it hit like a ton of bricks.

Today, we feel unbelievably sad for Boyd and his team, and completely powerless.

On behalf of ECOGOLD, I would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the owners and everyone connected to the horses lost in the fire: Call Me Ollie, Charla, (Lillian's) Ariel, Phantom Pursuit, Cagney Herself, and Summer Breeze.

We are praying for the surviving horses being treated at the New Bolton Center: Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, (Caitlin's) Catch a Star and Ambassador's Rose.

We are thinking how brave Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman, Ryan and the others at True Prospect Farm who went in the fire to save them, are.

Boyd, you are in our thoughts, with Silva, Lillian, Caitlin, Phillip and Evie, the owners and everyone at True Prospect Farm. We are grieving with you.

The Jog at Dressage at Bromont CDI... sponsored by ECOGOLD

Don't ask me how we ended up sponsoring a best-dressed jog competition at Dressage at Bromont CDI1*... I will just say one minute I was chatting with Linda Pepin, the show organizer about this year's show, and the next I was agreeing to donating a prize for the best presented rider and horse.

I have no idea who decides the winners, but here are some pics.

Simone Williams and Farley

Ecogold Launches Horse Junkies United, a Blog by Amateur Equestrians, for Amateur Equestrians!

We are very excited to announce.... that ECOGOLD has created a new website for amateur equestrians, “Horse Junkies United”, by and for amateur equestrians from different English riding disciplines.

The content is written by Amateur riders from across North America who are actively involved in dressage, hunter/jumpers and eventing. The goal is to provide cool, fun and meaningful content - with a point of view - that will relate to amateur equestrians across all English disciplines. The blog will cover all aspects of English riding including coverage of events and shows across North America, clinic reports, fashion, informative product reviews, and interviews with professional riders, special segments and of course contests!

The blog, which can be found at www.horsejunkiesunited.com, is the brainchild of Patricia Da Silva, ECOGOLD's Marketing VP. “After the successful Ammie Blogger Experience at Rolex Kentucky, where a team of amateur riders covered the event on ECOGOLD’s blog, some of the bloggers expressed an interest to keep going,” she said. “It just made sense to create a separate website and to bring in dressage and hunter/jumper riders to be more representative of the North American horse show scene.”

In 2011 ECOGOLD was the winner of the Equestrian Social Media Award for Best Use of Social Media in Category 14 - Saddlery or Tack Company - International.

ECOGOLD is proud to welcome CHARLES OWEN & CO. as their first partner. Danielle Santos of Charles Owen said, “Horse Junkies United is a great idea! Amateur riders across disciplines love to share their experiences and this blog gives them a place to do that. Charles Owen is proud to be involved in such an exciting new project.”

Another feature of the blog will be reviews of Boyd and Silva Martin’s training videos. The Martins, who are both sponsored by ECOGOLD and CHARLES OWEN and compete at the international levels of eventing and dressage, respectively, have created a series of training videos. One of the Horse Junkies United bloggers will watch the videos and write something about each one.

Carrie Braff, an amateur event rider from Ontario, Canada will be Blogger-in-Chief for Horse Junkies United. “We really want this site to branch out to ALL the amateur English Discipline riders out there.” said Carrie. “What better way than to have the content be written by amateur riders who are not only intelligent but funny, witty and somewhat crazy.  After all, if all of us horse junkies were normal, let's face it, we'd have nothing interesting to write about!”

While the blog will feature regular contributors, anyone can submit blog posts or get involved by emailing info@horsejunkiesunited.com

Check it out!!!!! www.horsejunkiesunited.com

Team Fredericks - The Next Generation!

Uh, oh... There's another member of Team Fredericks that we might need to start sponsoring... meet Ellie, daughter of Ecogold-riders Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks.



See you at Rolex!

Happy Mother's Day from ECOGOLD! with Awww videos...

Denielle Gallagher with daughter Juliette

We deal with a lot of wonderful horse moms... They drive their horse-crazy kid to lessons, bankroll the horse adventure, carry buckets, wash those dirty saddle pads and the list of "mom-tasks" goes on and on... Not only they are in charge of all the boring stuff, but they are also their kids #1 fan and supporter, ringside at the end of a ride to say "well done!" 

Mothers play a huge role, even at the higher levels of the sport. They often own the horses or are involved in their children's career in an active way.

And let's not forget all the professional riders who are also moms. It must take an incredible amount of organizational skills and sheer determination, to balance their sports objectives and business requirements with the demands of motherhood.

So here's our Awww salute to moms... whether they are of the "human kind or the interspecies kind...

Jessica Phoenix and baby Jacob

WEG Silver Medalists Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch and Hawley Bennett discuss their mothers & families


  Doggie-mommy adopts some kittehs

Kitteh-mommy adopts some squirrels

Kitteh-mommy adopts a baby bunny

Best of Rolex: The Ammies rocked!

The Ammie Bloggers were THIS great!

Having the Ammie Blogger Experience at Rolex Kentucky (amateur riders blogging about their experience and posting updates and photos on ECOGOLD's Facebook and Twitter pages) brought another dimension to the event.

In my job, I deal with top riders on a daily basis, so I tend to forget that they are a big deal to a lot of people.

But seeing the Ammie Bloggers every day with eyes full of stars, so excited and grateful for the experience, brought another dimension to "my" Rolex. I felt like Santa every single day! Kind of a "fake Santa" though, because I didn't think I was doing all that much for the amount of gratitude I received in return. I was glad to help, in a very small way, bridge some of the gap between "the general public" and the "Rolex stars".

I knew those private moments and one-on-one course walks with Rolex riders and meetings with grooms, would be special but never, in a million years I thought the bloggers would be so amazing. I was really, really impressed with #1. how much fun they all were #2. how incredibly talented they are.

The photos and content created by the Amateur Bloggers compared favorably to a lot of the Rolex coverage out there, with a lot more emotion thrown in... There were at least one or two kleenex-worthy reads... So a BIG thank you to Cheryl, Calina, Carrie, Tracy, Jennifer, Sarah, Holly, Kate, Elyse, Becky, Krisy, Lori, Cathy and Aislinn! You made our Rolex really special. (I have a feeling the Ammies will be back....)
 

Our Amateur Bloggers were featured every day on the Horses in the Morning Radio Shows (big thanks to Glenn and Jamie!) Here are the links to the shows:

Rolex Show Day #1 - Cheryl and Calina's Interview at -56.00 minutes

Rolex Show Day #2 - Becky's Interview at -46.00 minutes

Rolex Show Day #3 - Holly's Interview at -36.50 minutes

Rolex Show Day #4 - Carrie's Interview at -33.75 minutes

Also, I want to feature some cool fan videos...(not by our Ammies but fun stuff nonetheless.) I love this kind of videos. Not professional in any way, but you can tell there's a lot of time, effort and passion behind each of them.  Enjoy!

Rolex 2011 from jumpingchicka96

2011 Rolex Kentucky from eventerbug2

2011 Rolex Kentucky from PretzellyPony

Kentucky Part 1 by ridergirl101

Rolex 2011 from ShoshanaSaysHi

Best of Rolex Kentucky: Impressive Stats... with videos

Hannah Burnett and St-Barths - by Tracy Porter

In addition to the 7 riders in the top 10 who rode in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads (see our previous blog post with videos of all their rides here), ECOGOLD products were spotted on several 2011 Rolex Kentucky competitors.

Whether they finished or not, it is an achievement in itself to enter a 4* competition and for us, a great source of pride, seeing our products on so many of those top horses.

Here are the impressive stats!

• A total of 19 riders out of 45 entered at Rolex Kentucky rode in an ECOGOLD product during the weekend (42%)
• 50% who finished (14 riders out of 28) rode in an ECOGOLD product
• 70% riders in Top Ten rode in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads
• 2 out of 3 riders with double clear cross-country rounds were ECOGOLD riders (ECOGOLD dominated the double clear rounds with 66.67%- Jessica Phoenix and Hannah Sue Burnett)
• ECOGOLD products were used by riders from 4 countries: Australia, Canada, USA and the UK
• All Australian riders and all Canadian riders entered at 2011 Rolex Kentucky rode in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads
• Only 2 riders finished on her dressage score... Mary King and ECOGOLD-rider Jessica Phoenix
  

Without further ado, here are the riders we spotted using some ECOGOLD gear (besides those in the top 10, who we already listed in our previous post).

Karen O'Connor rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads and XC Boots

Karen O'Connor and Quintus 54 - by Tracy Porter

Karen O'Connor and Quintus 54 - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Karen O'Connor and Quintus 54 - Dressage 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Secure Saddle Pad was spotted on Kim Severson

Kim Severson and Tipperary Liadhnan - photo by Tracy Porter

Phillip Dutton rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle - by Jennifer Pavlinich

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

they are at 0:38 in this video featuring various riders

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle - Show Jumping 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad was spotted on Michael Pollard

Michael Pollard and Icarus - by Jennifer Pavlinich

Michael Pollard and Icarus - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky


Jessica Hampf rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads and XC Boots

Jessica Hampf and High Society III by Cathy J Allen-Shinn

Jessica Hampf and High Society - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Peter Barry rode in an ECOGOLD's Secure XC Saddle Pad

Peter Barry and Kildoran Abbott - by Jennifer Pavlinich

Peter Barry and Kildoran Abbott - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Secure Saddle Pad was spotted on Kelly Prather

Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory

Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Hamish Cargill rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads

Hamish Cargill and Sandhills Tiger - by Kate Taylor

Hamish Cargill and Sandhills Tiger - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Allison Springer rode in an ECOGOLD's Secure XC Saddle Pad

Allison Springer and Arthur - by Cathy J Allen-Shinn

Allison Springer and Arthur - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Secure Saddle Pad was spotted on Martha McDowell

Martha McDowell and Gaelic Marriage - by Kate Taylor

Martha McDowell and Gaelic Marriage - Cross-Country (not from Rolex!)

Diana Burnett rode in an ECOGOLD Secure Dressage Saddle Pad and Half Pad

Diana Burnett and Manny - Dressage at 2011 Rolex - by Calina

and sorry no pic... but Buck Davidson rode in an ECOGOLD's Secure Dressage Saddle Pad

Best of Rolex Kentucky: The Saddle Pad Brag... with videos

We've been a little shell-shocked since the end of Rolex Kentucky. It was a lot of fun but also quite exhausting, with the Ammie Blogger Experience (more about that in another post), the Q&As with top riders, taking care of clients and partners, the trade stand set up/tear down, plus a three-day drive back in the rain... I don't think I've ever been so busy/sleep deprived in my life (outside of university).

We finally got home on Wednesday and found a nice message from Canadian Rolex photographer Michelle Dunn on my Facebook page: "Was there anyone NOT riding in Ecogold pads at Rolex???!!! OMG they are in every single photo I have, or so it seems..."

On Sunday before leaving, I received a very nice email from Glenn The Geek from the Horse Radio Network, telling me, among other things, that we should be proud of all the ECOGOLD saddle pads at Rolex. 

When you are so tired, you are not processing much information, you just want to go home and sleep. But now that we've been home for 24 hrs, let's be proud and brag a little.

• 7 riders in the top 10 rode in ECOGOLD Saddle pads! 

I don't quite remember how many we had last year, but we had zero two years ago. So we've come a long way in a very short time. (Virtual High-five!)

Here are the seven riders in the top ten with videos of their rides in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads (and some using ECOGOLD boots too)...

3rd - Sinead Halpin 

photo by: Tracy Porter

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville  - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky


Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville - Show Jumping 2011 Rolex Kentucky

4th - 

William Fox-Pitt 

photo by: Jennifer Pavlinich

 William Fox-Pitt and Neuf des Coeurs -  Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

5th -Clayton Fredericks 

photo by: Calina

 Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

7th - Jessica Phoenix

photo by: Calina

Jessica Phoenix and Exponential  - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Jessica Phoenix and Exponential  - Show Jumping 2011 Rolex Kentucky

8th - Hannah Sue Burnett

photo by: Aislinn Duke

Hannah Sue Burnett and St-Barths - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

9th - Boyd Martin

photo by: Calina

Boyd Martin and Remington - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Boyd Martin and Remington - Dressage 2011 Rolex Kentucky

10th - Rebecca Howard

photo by: Tracy Porter

Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Perfect Rolex Hangover Remedy - The Complete Rider Interviews!

Meg Kepferle with Hamish Cargill

Another Rolex has come and gone, and you may have missed some of our coverage. One of the highlights was certainly having our riders come to our stand/"studio", for fun and informative in-depth video interviews. The questions were submitted by amateur riders, so they range from riding advice to more personal questions.

The sessions not only allowed us to get to know the riders better, but we also had a few scoops... like Sinead Halpin's "come to Jesus" moment on Thursday which set her up for ultimate success,  Karen O'Connor's discussing for the first time her plans after David becomes US Team Coach (it involves show jumping...), Diana Burnett's decision to widthdraw Manny and what Phillip Dutton would do if he were "King of Eventing".

A big Thank You to Meg Kepferle (Sinead Halpin's groom), Doug Payne and our own Amateur Blogger Carrie Braff, for hosting the sessions. And Thank You to our riders for taking the time to come by and being so gracious.

Here are some interesting conversations (funny at times) with ECOGOLD riders Hannah Burnett, Clayton Fredericks, Karen O'Connor, Hamish Cargill, Boyd Martin, Jessica Phoenix, Jessica Hampf, Rebecca Howard, Phillip Dutton, Peter Atkins, Sinead Halpin and Diana Burnett. Enjoy!

HANNAH BURNETT - Part 1 and 2

CLAYTON FREDERICKS

KAREN O'CONNOR - Part 1 and 2

HAMISH CARGILL

BOYD MARTIN

CANADA's JESSICA PHOENIX, JESSICA HAMPF, REBECCA HOWARD - Part 1 and 2

PHILLIP DUTTON - Part 1, 2 and 3

 

PETER ATKINS

 

SINEAD HALPIN

DIANA BURNETT